Empty library

anna2121

Hello, I know the empty library is an often discussed problem in this forum, but also after searching through the discussions and trying several things, I open zotero and still have an empty library. The problem is the following:

I update my mac from os x snow leopard to os x lion and now my zotero library appears empty. I tried several things:
- re-download zotero (now I have zotero and zotero2 in my program-folder)
- shift the zotero-folder (located on my harddisk) to another location and back
- delete the file "zotero.sqlite" and rename the file "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" in "zotero.sqlite"
- a thousand restarts of zotero/firefox/computer...

nothing helped! are there other steps I could try?

Thanks for your help.

DWL-SDCA

STOP! Don't do anything else to any Zotero files! (Apology for the shout.)

OS X 10.7 (Lion) is many years old. It was released in 2011. The current version is OS X 10.12. In a few months, 10.13 will be released. Someone else on this forum will be able to say more about this but you are likely having compatibility problems with more than Zotero. You are likely using an out-of-date browser.

Do I understand that you are running Zotero 2.x? The current Zotero is 4.0.29. Many changes have been made to the program. I think that the database structure has been changed.

@adamsmith or @dstillman or someone else will need to give you advice about what to do to get your system working.

adamsmith

Yeah, so I'm surprised Zotero ran on Snow Leopard -- it's my understanding that you'd need 10.9 upwards to run current versions of Zotero. I also thought it was possible to run newer operating systems on the same software, but I'm not a Mac person.

But let's start with "empty" -- what exactly do you see? An completely empty library or is there a "welcome to Zotero" item?

And what's the size of the various zotero.sqlite files on your harddisk?

dstillman

Do I understand that you are running Zotero 2.x?

No, "zotero2" is just a renamed directory/file.

Yeah, so I'm surprised Zotero ran on Snow Leopard

Zotero 4.0.29.11 ran on 10.6-10.8. We weren't offering auto-updates beyond that version to people on those macOS versions, but it looks like the download page was offering later versions to 10.7 and 10.8 users. I've now fixed it to serve 4.0.29.11 to all 10.6–10.8 users.

@anna2121, if your Mac supports a later macOS version (i.e., unless you have a computer from 2006 or thereabouts), you should absolutely upgrade the OS. If not, you should re-download Zotero from the download page to make sure you have Zotero 4.0.29.11, which is outdated but which should run on 10.7. You can delete the other Zotero applications in your /Applications directory.

anna2121

Thanks for your answers.
I already re-downloaded Zotero from the download page (yesterday) and I have now Zotero 4.0.20.15, macOS 10.7.5 and Firefox 48.0.2.

When I open Zotero there is "my library" on the left but it's empty, i.e. all my entries are disappeared. The only item that's in it is called "quick guide" (i.e. Schnelleinstieg, as I use a german version of Zotero) and when I put the arrow there's written "welcome to Zotero".

On my harddisk I have
- zotero.sqlite 1.1 MB
- zotero.sqlite-journal 91 KB
- zotero.sqlite.1.bak 1.1. MB
- zotero.sqlite.bak 1.1. MB

I already browsed my computer to find other, bigger zotero.sqlite files but didn't find one.

What other steps could I try? Thanks for your help!

adamsmith

I'm sorry to say that these are all empty libraries. Did you sync to Zotero online? When you click on "My Library" at the top left of this page, do you see your items?

anna2121

No, I didn't sync to Zotero online and when I click on "my library" at this page, there are no items.
In the answers above it's recommended thtat I update to the newest macOS version. Shall I do that or first try something else?

adamsmith

While a newer OS is probably a good idea in general, unless you're able to find a larger zotero.sqlite file, it's not going to bring your library back.
Do you have any hard disk backups (time machine, e.g.)?

anna2121

Yes, I have a hard disk backup. The latest I did before I updated to OS Lion. There are the following zotero.sqlite-files:

- zotero.sqlite 1.1 MB
- zotero.sqlite.1.bak 1.1. MB
- zotero.sqlite.bak 1.1. MB

I guess, these are empty as well, so my problem hasn't to do with the OS update...?

In the storage-folder I find my pdfs but that means nothing to the problem of the empty library, right?

adamsmith

yeah, these are all empty, which is quite odd since presumably you had the Zotero library on your computer. What I'm suspecting is that the "real" database might be in your Firefox profile.

What's the filepath to the Zotero data folder?

anna2121

Yes, I have/had the Zotero library on my computer.
The zotero folder is located in a folder called "Diss/Forschung" on my Macintosh HD. The filepath (if I understand it right) is /Diss:Forschung/zotero
So it's written also in Zotero --> extended applications --> files and folders --> storage location --> proper (I translated the vocabulary from german, so there might be other expressions in the english version...)

I am not sure, did this answer your question?

adamsmith

You have also used Zotero in Firefox, right? Have you looked in your Firefox profile


/Users//Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles//zotero
to see if there is anything there? I believe the Application Support folder is hidden on Mac, so you wouldn't see it by default.

anna2121

I found the Application folder, I followed the path as you suggested:
/Users/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles, but the only folder in it is called "nakorhbc.default" and in there are (sorry for the long list, but just to get sure, that I didn't miss something):

addons.json
addons.sqlite
blocklist.xml
bookmarkbackups (folder)
cert_override.txt
cert8.db
compatibility.ini
content-prefs.sqlite
cookies.sqlite
cookies.sqlite-shm
cookies.sqlite-wal
crashes (folder)
datareporting (folder)
enumerate_devices.txt
extensions (folder)
extensions.ini
extensions.json
extensions.log
extensions.sqlite
features (folder)
formhistory.sqlite
gmp (folder)
gmp-gmpopenh264 (folder)
gmp-widevinecdm (folder)
healthreport (folder)
key3.db
localstore.rdf
logins.json
marionette.log
mimeTypes.rdf
minidumps (folder)
permissions.sqlite
places.sqlite
places.sqlite-shm
places.sqlite-wal
pluginreg.dat
prefs.js
revocations.txt
saved-telemetry-pings (folder)
search-metadata.json
search.json
search.json.mozlz4
search.sqlite
secmod.db
serviceworker.txt
sessionCheckpoints.json
sessionstore-backups (folder)
signons.sqlite
SiteSecurityServiceState.txt
storage (folder)
times.json
webapps (folder)
webappsstore.sqlite
webappsstore.sqlite-shm
webappsstore.sqlite-wal
xulstore.json

But I find a Zotero folder in the Application Support folder (/Users/Library/Application Support/Zotero/Profiles/jt2hvev6.default) and in there is (sorry again):
blocklist.xml
cert8.db
compatibility.ini
content-prefs.sqlite
cookies.sqlite
crashes (folder)
datareporting (folder)
extensions.ini
extensions.json
extensions.sqlite
formhistory.sqlite
key3.db
localstore.rdf
mimeTypes.rdf
permissions.sqlite
places.sqlite
pluginreg.dat
prefs.js
revocations.txt
saved-telemetry-pings (folder)
secmod.db
sessionCheckpoints.json
SiteSecurityServiceState.txt
storage.sqlite
times.json
webappsstore.sqlite
xulstore.json
zotero (folder), in this folder there are the folder locate, pipes (empty), storage (empty), styles, translators, and a zotero.sqlite file (1.1 MB)

Is this leading to something? Thank you very much for your continuous support, I'm still hoping...